Mon/March 3, 2008
The mystery pen arrived... James Lamoureux brought this pen to my attention.
You are in the right place... Float Along is a bulletin page that will keep you up-to-date between issues of the bi-monthly Float About newsletter. Bookmark this page so you may check periodically for the latest news.
So what happened to all the information that was here? On Thurs/Feb 28th the information was pulled. It has been edited and enhanced to become Issue #59 of Float About. Issue #59 posted on Fri/Feb 29th. Now that issue #59 has posted, incoming time-sensitive news will be added to this page as it is received. When the time comes, the information collected here will become Issue #60, and so it goes from newsletter to newsletter. The newest postings appear in chronological order under the individual headings.
Follow-up to Issue #59...
Mon/March 3, 2008
The mystery pen arrived... James Lamoureux brought this pen to my attention.
The pen comes from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. I had high hopes it would be a photoramic, but it is an early digital design. I am offering this design for $3.50 each. If you wish add one or more to your current order, that is fine! If you happen to live near the school, visit their gift shop.
Amazing eBay Stories...
Mon/April 21, 2008
German collector, Biggy Kuhn... has struck gold again. This is a pen that has been on my wishlist for a long time. I knew it existed, but I have never actually held one in my hands. Biggy is the proud owner of this vintage Beatles pen. It is one of her latest eBay acquisitions. I am unsure what she had to pay for it, but it wasn't cheap. It must be one of the earliest clicker style pens. Look at the skinny button on the
clicker mechanism! Looks like a small metal cap on top too. Very unique. Congratulations to Biggy. I shamefully admit I am green with envy.
Biggy didn't say how, when or where she obtained this Heinz pen, but it was a big surprise to me. This conceal/reveal version is presented in the C-Clip style. Biggy is quite smitten with the enlarged images that the twist n click window allows.
The C-Clip style has only been in production for a few years, so this has to be a fairly new pen. Biggy provided the scan. I can't be sure, but it appears to be a photoramic. Super cool find!
Tues/May 6, 2008
On another note... Biggy has revamped her website. Previously her site was in German, now notations in English have been added. (
www.biggyk.beep.de) Explore. It's fun. I promise! Be sure to sign her guestbook.
Pen Displays...
Mon/April 28, 2008
I have a friend of a friend... that is doing a major housecleaning. She has several wooden display units for sale. I know how hungry collectors are for displays. I promised to let everyone know about them. They were custom made in 1993. Mary is hoping for buyers in the USA as the displays are very heavy. Mary consulted a woodworker that specializes in custom work. After careful examination and consideration, he proposed pricing.
The long oak unit will accomodate 28 pens. There are foam insets under the wood. It measures 17 inches long, by 7 inches high and 1 ½ deep. The weight is just 1 pound. The price is $75, plus shipping. Only one unit available.
There are 5 terraced units available. Three of them are fashioned from walnut, two are made of a lighter hardwood, likely maple. The length of each display is 9.25 inches, depth is 5.25 inches, height is 8 inches. Each terrace is a separate piece of wood. Terraces are joined together to create the unit. Each of these displays will hold 84 pens. Weight is 4 pounds per unit.
Prices: $125/walnut or 3/$325;
$110/maple or 2/$200.
Purchase all 6 displays for $550 + shipping;
$500 if you can pick them up.
For those of you that have a woodshop and tinker in the trade you might say “I could make any one of these displays for half of that!” I suppose if you have the time and know-how, you could.... so why haven't you?! I am guilty of that myself. I spend hours designing and thinking about making displays, but they never get made. For those that do not have access to woodworking equipment, this might be just what you are looking for. If you have done any research, you know pen displays are hard to come-by.
If you think the displays look huge, refer to the measurements. They actually hold a lot of pens with a small footprint on your desk or table. With that said, if you are interested in any or all of the displays please contact Mary Alton alton003@umn.edu in St. Paul, MN. She can answer any questions you may have and help calculate shipping charges.
Collectors News...
Fri/April 18, 2008
Heads-up everyone... Craig Wilson and many other collectors received this email over the last two weeks. Does it look familiar to you?
“hello all friends,if you like swap, i have for you a lot of 15 nice pens from portugal,ok.i propose me and you send at same day, acord? please write soon to: paulo ricardo
(plus his address)”
Craig Googled part of Paulo's address (11 p.delgada) and got many hits for many different sites where he offers to trade unspecified goods, like phonecards, or asks for money. Depending on the site, his name is Paulo Ricardo, Paulo Vieira, Paulo Brasil, you get the idea. Craig and I both feel you should steer clear!
Mon/March 3, 2008
It's possible Debbie Carriere... has too much time on her hands. I feel comfortable teasing Debbie. She is the first to find humor in her obsession. Sunday Debbie made an email confession, “ So I wasted all Saturday evening making little flags and poles for my pens out of shish-kabob sticks, white beads and address label stickers. It worked out really well, except for the countries where I have few pens, there's a throng of flags all mushed together.” Debbie showed the prototype to her son and presented her plan to make a flag for every country represented in her collection. Her son replied, perhaps condescendingly, “I can see that you are very excited. I'm happy for you.” Debbie had to laugh out loud. “Ah, well, we have to get our jollies somehow.” She is so right. I thought her time was well spent. The flags are cute and they certainly get the job
done.
Wed/March 5, 2008
Finn-pen and Quilland... battle-it-out regularly on eBay, but that doesn't mean they are mortal enemies. Quite the contrary. Both of these collectors revel in the competition, but they manage to maintain a friendly relationship.
On July 22nd of 2007, Finn Sørensen and family visited the home of Eldor Gilje, aka Quilland. The Sørensen's live in Denmark. The Gilje's reside in Norway. 300+ miles (500+ km) stand between them.
Photo Left: Pannee and Finn Sørensen plus Eldor Gilje far right.
Pens Out and About...
Wed/March 5, 2008
James Lamoureux uncovered another... floaty find online. I believe the pen is a naked Eskesen twist n click. I am guessing it is a digital. The caption panel is borrowed from the Union Pacific website. You can see the artwork there. It includes a locomotive moving through a wooded setting. The pens sell for $4.50 each, but I did not travel all the way through their shopping cart to determine shipping. You may order directly from UP.
(
www.bdasites.com/unionpacific/). Thanks James!!!
Mon/March 10, 2008
Graham Jacobs returned from Hong Kong... with pen news to report. “I looked in many shops and other tourist traps in Hong Kong and found it hard to find pens. The Peak Tower and the International Airport Terminal 1 had pens. The name of the shop is Nobletime Ltd. Apparently they have other branches in the New World Centre, Tsz Wan Shan Centre and The Westwood. I did not visit those locations, so I can not confirm they carry pens. I did find a pen from the Avenue of Stars. I tried all the Museums, but no pens at any of them. I managed to find eight new pens for my collection. I hope this will help some collectors who are thinking of visiting Hong Kong. Regards, Graham.” Thanks for the update Graham! I am sure the information will be useful.
Mon/April 21, 2008 (reported 04/13/08)
Beverly Broadstone had two pen scouts...
looking out for her best interest in Hong Kong. Beverly's Mother and sister Edna
returned to California on the 10th of April. Beverly reports, ”Edna brought back over 60 pens from Hong Kong and China. Twelve different designs in all. She is a wonderful pen hunter! The best of the bunch were from The Great Wall of China, but unfortunately, each pen in the gift shop had a bubble.” Edna is an educated float pen scout. Knowing collectors are not crazy about bubbles, she used her discretion and bought three of each Great Wall design. All three designs share the same caption panel.
Beverly went on to say. “I've always wondered if a pen from the Great Wall ever existed. In my twelve years of collecting, I had no knowledge of them. It's a real shame they all have bubbles. However, ALL of the pens Edna found were manufactured by Eskesen. Edna provided the name of the gift shops that carried the pens. It was the same stores Graham had luck finding them at as well.”
Guess what? Beverly has Hong Kong pens to trade! Contact her directly at floatypenguin@earthlink.net to see what designs are still available.
Fri/March 28, 2008
California collector Craig Wilson ... and wife, Terri
vacationed in D.C. over Easter. “We had a great time. Did lots of walking in the cool air, saw some amazing things, and even found some pens! Here are the National Treasures I brought back.”
1) The Buck Starts Here (digital)
“This pen was mentioned in Float About in 2005. Marisa had gotten one in her
Eskesen subscription package. It's from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
It was so cool watching the bills be printed with the different inks.
We brought back one of the new $5 bills (now with purple color added), just issued last week.”
2) Washington D.C. Hiding Dollar (T&C/Slanted, digital)
“On a similar note (sorry for the float pun), this has a $1 playing hide and seek
in front of the Capitol building. We blew a whole morning getting in, but
it was worth it. No site-specific pens in their shop.”
3) National Archives Experience (T&C, digital)
“Here, the first page of the Constitution floats over a painting showing
the Declaration of Independence being presented for acceptance.
We saw both documents at the Archives, but the painting is back in the
Capitol building rotunda.”
4) Wash D.C. Cherry Blossom (digital)
“The Jefferson Memorial shows up here, with the cherry trees in full bloom.
It was a little early for the blooms; they should peak in another week or so,
but it was still pretty. Again, no site-specific pens at the memorial.”
5) Smithsonian Nat'l Air & Space Museum SR-71 (T&C, digital, chrome barrel)
6) Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Rock Collection
“Didn't find much at the Smithsonian museums, considering how many there are, but these turned up. The first has the SR-71 Blackbird fighter jet, and a nice shiny chrome barrel. The rock collection, from their natural history museum, has an unusual transparent caption panel (foreground), preferable, I think, to the more common barrel imprint for these kind.”
“I found a couple of decent digital remakes of older pens. Also, the Democrat and Republican pens on your list. That's about it. We went to three different Potbelly Deli locations asking about their pen, but had no luck. The food was good, but the crowding of the lunch rush suggested that a picnic was the way to go.”
And there you have it! The scoop on the D.C. floaty scene. Craig bought duplicates to trade. Visit his website to see available designs www.FloatsVille.com
Mon/April 14, 2008
A Chicago-Denver pen report... compliments of
Boston collector, Doug Yeo. “My recent travels brought me through Chicago and Denver airports. Bad and good news. In Chicago, there were floaty pens galore but they were all made in China. Bright colors but cheaply made, poor images and stubborn floaty action. Denver was more promising, with several new digital image pens by Eskesen.” Much appreciated Doug!
Wed/April 16, 2008
Regina Merwin, at OperaGraphics.com... tells me that
Jack Keely is designing a new floaty for her. The latest pen will depict Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute. ETA is sometime in September. With a little luck, maybe sooner. Something for all of us to look forward to!
Wed/April 23, 2008
The Oregon RFID sells... RFID equipment for tracking fish and wildlife for scientific research. They have two custom Eskesen floaty pens available. They were designed as a promotional item. Each customer that purchased equipment would be given two pens. Well, the word got out and a few floaty pen collectors inquired about availability.
Warren Leach was kind enough to supply a link to the company website. A click will transport you to the order page for the pens... ( www.oregonrfid.com/floatypen). The first pen ($8) has an actual RFID tag with a 64 bit unique identifier that can be read with a low frequency reader. That has to be a first! What a unique concept. The second pen ($5) looks the same, but instead of an actual tag, it has a picture of an RFID tag. You may order the pens directly from the link above. They will not be offered on my website.
Media Sighting...
Wed/March 5, 2008
Australian, Susan Baker, couldn't wait... to share her
news. “Next week a crew from an Australian TV show called Collectors is coming to my house to film my pen collection! I feel like a bit of a fraud because I have less than 1000 pens, but they seem to think it's substantial enough. I'm not sure when it's going to go to air yet but I'll let you know. Hopefully I'll be able to send you some kind of copy of the episode so you can see what I've been doing with all those pens you send to me.”
That is exciting news! When the episode is released I will include a link. We might be able to watch it online. If not, I certainly hope Susan is able to send a DVD, CD or VHS copy my way. Let me assure you and everyone out there... 1,000 pens is a fantastic collection and quite an accomplishment. Wave your floaty flag high!
I contacted Susan today (04/21/08). The shooting went well and the episode will air on June 20th. Susan isn't sure, but it's possible the interview will be included in a magazine too. Stay tuned for incoming news.
Fri/April 4, 2008
Beverly Broadstone offers this excited... “OMG!
Floaty Sighting! Jeopardy is on right now, and when they were introducing the contestants, one of them was named Mary McGhee. I remembered a Mary McGhee from Seattle. Do you remember her? I thought that there could be dozens of other women with the same name. I had to wait until after the commercial when Alex Trebek personally talked to each of the contestants to find out more about her background. He confirmed she was from the Sea-Tac area and said,‘You collect......’ and she finished the sentence by saying ‘floaty pens!’ She explained what they were and mentioned she had 700 pens in her collection. She also made a comment that her collection was small compared to those who have thousands. Alex Trebek acted as if he was a little doubtful of her sanity. Anyway, Damon just called to say he recognized her too! Mary McGhee wound up losing by $3. Wow! It was a real blast from the past.” Less than an hour after Beverly contacted me I received a note from Carol Santos too. On April
15th Regina Merwin asked if I knew about the episode. To date all of the viewers are from California. Did anyone else tune-in?
Of course I remember Mary McGhee. She was an active trader in the early days. I lost contact with her long ago. Probably a casualty of one of my computer melt-downs. Mary, if you are out there... please pop in and say ‘hello’. It's time to reconnect with the floaty community.
Fri/April 18, 2008
Craig Wilson asked if I had seen... Debbie Carriere's
float pen movie on YouTube yet. I had not! The next day I received a surprise package from Debbie. It was a CD copy of the movie entitled Floaty Penthon. I don't know where Debbie gets her inspiration, but her ideas are delightfully executed and drenched in humor.
Enjoy! (
www.youtube.com). There is a short intro before the main feature begins.
Tues/April 29, 2008
California collector... Victoria Birenbaum provided
the latest media sighting. “ I am sitting here watching a new episode of Bones, which, if you haven't seen it, is a show about crime-solving based on forensics. The FBI agent
and the forensic anthropologist opened a safety deposit box and found a gun inside. The FBI agent then used a pen to pick up the gun by the trigger guard. As far as I could tell, he was using a tip n strip pen with a blue barrel, featuring a couple of women (with their black dresses tastefully on). I couldn't see the top half of the pen, so I don't know if it was an older twist n click, or one of the new ones you mentioned in your newsletter, with a C-clip. I just thought you'd like to know.”
Yes Victoria! We do like to know. Thanks for the heads-up. I attempted to log-on to Fox Network's On Demand schedule, but the site was bogged down. You should be able to catch the full episode there. Otherwise just watch your listings for the rerun. I couldn't find the title of the episode. All I know is it aired Mon/April 28th.
On the Homefront...
Mon/April 21, 2008
Things are back to normal and I am actually thinking about issue #60. I would like to shock everyone and post in a timely manner. I do have some photoramic and digital designs in. Hmmm.... not ready to make any promises yet, but I will do the best I can. So what's new with you?
I hope you are well and afloat...
Diana
a star indicates an active 'clickable' link throughout this website
FLOAT ABOUT... Diana Andra, 1676 Millsboro Road, Mansfield, OH 44906-3374